Any Live-Action Persona Adaptation should be a new story.
Sega is looking to expand its adaptation love after the massive success of the Sonic the Hedgehog live-action movies. This includes Persona, a JRPG series of games that can last dozens to hundreds of hours depending on the player’s strength. Persona is not an anime adaptation as it condenses a 100-hour-long story into a handful of episodes. Sega, I beg you not to adapt any games to live-action Personaprojects.
Sega producer Toru Nakahara spoke to I.G.N. and stated that the company plans to use Atlus’ games for live-action T.V., movies, and other media. Persona was named, though nothing appears to be in the works.
Nakahara stated that Atlus’ worlds are full of high drama, cutting-edge style, and compelling characters.” Nakahara spoke to IGN. “Stories such as those from the persona franchise resonate with our fans. We see an opportunity for us to expand the lore in a way that no one else has seen or played before.
Sega and Atlus are working together to bring these stories to life through new media and for new audiences.
This was as precise as Nakahara’s statement to I.G.N. It does set the mind racing about what a live-action Persona movie or series could look like. It’s tempting to wish to see Persona 5’sJoker, the Phantom Thieves, get a movie, or a Netflix series. However, condensing this original game’s story doesn’t work in its favor as an animation, and a live action retelling would not overcome the live-action
Sega is credited with understanding that 1:1 adaptations are not always the best way to make a live-action movie. The Sonic the Hedgehogmovies, particularly the second, have borrowed elements from the games but haven’t attempted to tell their stories to beat for beat. This may change in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. I am confident that the third movie, despite introducing its own twist on characters such as Knuckles and the Echidna, will be faithful adaptations and new takes.
The Personaseries, however, isn’t focused on a particular group of people, unlike Sonic the Hedgehog. It would be better to just move away from the casts of games for a live-action movie or series. S.E.E.S. and the Investigation Team have had their own stories. It would be interesting for these hypothetical projects to explore the paranormal side of high school life, without being tied to any particular game. Nakahara also stated that he sees an opportunity to extend the lore in a way no one has ever seen or played before.
My first reaction to the news about a live-action personaadaptation was to roll over. To some degree, I think I still do. This is because not all anime and games need live-action to be easier to understand for people who don’t like them. I can see potential in spite of my cynicism. Sega must also see it, judging by the films it has already released.
